URBAN PLANNING CONFERENCE Kate Schmidt, VISC 302, March 2021
URBAN PLANNING CONFERENCE Purpose Statement +What is the big idea behind the conference? The big idea is educating the architects, planners, and leaders of our country and collaborating with local organizations and citizens to build a more equitable, sustainable, and enjoyable urban life. +Why would people want to attend? People would want to attend this conference because it acknowledges the intersectionality of urban planning and the power and possibility it has to effect greater change for equity, environmental impacts, quality of life, and resilience to public health crises. +Who would be the speakers? Speakers are industry experts from across the globe that can speak to intersections of architecture, city planning, equity, public health, environmental impacts (climate change), and economics. +Who would attend it? Individuals engaged in city planning, architecture, housing, sustainability, and city management. Citizens interested in expressing their opinions are also very welcome. +When and where would it be held? Held virtually but hosted by cities like Seattle, Washington, NYC, New York, or Portland, Oregon.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Topics Considered +Archaeology +Biomimicry +Disaster Relief +Urban Planning I decided on Urban Planning as the topic of my conference because I enjoy discussions around the ideas of design, innovation, social justice, and environmental justice; Urban Planning is a discipline that is heavily influenced by each of those sub-disciplines. There were plenty of recent Ted Talks on Urban Planning, whereas some of my other topics (like Biomimicry) had very few recently posted Ted Talks. I have a strong foundational knowledge of Urban Planning because I took Urban Planning: Sustainability & Society at KU in Fall 2020 while working towards my Certificate in Sustainability and learned a lot about Urban Planning and it’s intersections with environment, economy, and equity. The issue of who to build for, what to build, and how to build in Urban Planning is a controversial global discussion and requires the viewpoints of a diversity of experts from different backgrounds.
RESOURCES Ted Talks
Articles
General Topic Speakers + A Stealthy reimagining of urban public space - Elizabeth Diller + 7 Principles for building better cities - Peter Calthrope
An issue that was not addressed in the above Ted Talks that I would like to include in my conference is the relationships between urban planning and public-health crises, like the Covid-19 pandemic.
Designing for Efficiency + The 15 minute City - Carlos Moreno + What driverless cars would look like - Wanis Kabbaj
A Global View of Design and Urban Planning post Covid-19: These articles are structured similarly to a panel discussion: a group of urban planners from across the globe are each asked their insight and advice on effective urban planning for the health of future cities. Part 1 - Pandemic Prevention Part 2 - Changing Perspectives Part 3 - New Infrastructure Part 4 - How Will Cities Change?
Designing for Enjoyment + How cohousing can make us happier and help us live longer - Grace Kim + Can we design cities for happiness? - Thomas Madrecki Designing for Environment + What happens if you cut down all of a city's trees? - Stefan Al + How to transform sinking cities into landscapes that fight floods - Kotchakorn Voraakhom Designing for Equity + What if gentrification was about healing communities instead of displacing them? - Liz Ogbu + 3 ways we can redesign cities for equity and inclusion - Vishaan Chakrabarti
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
How have Pandemics Historically Changed Cities? This articles take a hopeful perspective that cities can and will emerge from pandemics like Covid-19 more prepared to address future health crises as they are able to experience and recognize short fallings and develop more effective new norms and procedures moving forward.
Key Points
Common Phrases
GENERAL +As population booms globally and more people move to urban areas we must plan human-scaled cities/communities focused on human interaction to address sprawl and sustainability. +Architects & developers are stewards to protect public spaces, which are vital to the connectedness and quality of life of citizens.
GENERAL +connectedness, advocacy, sprawl, sustainable, humanity, isolates, landuse, greenhouse gas, common cause, mixed-use development, investment, distribution, experimentation, geographic equity, restructure, privatized, commercial real estate, public space, democratize, protect, agrictecture, civic expression, demonstrations, gentrification, alienation, responsive.
EFFICIENCY +Referencing human biology to lead in the redesign of transit systems. +Cities should be designed/ redesigned so that people can access work, housing, food, health, education, culture, and leisure within a 15-minute walk or bike ride.
EFFICIENCY +traffic, commute, congestion, transportation, network, utilize space, driverless cars, convenience, evolve, time, polluted, justice, accessibility, connections, space, transformation, decentralization vs, centralization, infrastructure, proximity, flexible, bike lanes, purpose, neighborhood centers.
ENJOYMENT/ QUALITY OF LIFE +We need to design homes that promote connectedness, and therefore quality of life. Cohousing creates shared purpose and care. +Urban planners need to study and acknowledge the impact of public participation and feedback or else the intention of designs and plans can be lost on the people who are supposed to be benefitted; Put People First.
ENJOYMENT/ QUALITY OF LIFE +loneliness, isolation, connection, cohousing, intentional social interactions, community meals, collaboration, spirit of community, lend & borrow, quality of life, happiness, human well being & relationships/sense of connection, engaged & empowered, social connectivity, diversity of ideas and opinions, public participation, underrepresentation, regenerative communities.
ENVIRONMENT +By 2050, 65% of the world will be in cities. Ancient cities proved the benefits of trees on infrastructure & human health, and resilience to disasters. +Designing public and private spaces to collect, filter, and beautify rain water through urban green roofs and parks with native plants reduces catastrophes like flooded and sinking cities.
ENVIRONMENT +arboreal benefits, trees, green spaces, irrigation, biophilic cities, expansion, filtration, resilience, storm water runoff, flood prevention, physical & mental health, stress levels, severe flooding, urgent impact, sinking cities, green cracks in a concrete jungle, sea level rise, displaced, confront climate change, wetlands, native plants, heat island, obligation, climate risk.
EQUITY +Gentrification is a threat to the cultural identity, health, and economic status of low-income/marginalized groups. To make any change we must first listen to the current and past residents and acknowledge the significance of this community. +Equitable health and housing, sustainable urban mobility, and attainable social and cultural resources are essential as we craft a new Urban Equity Agenda following Black Lives Matter movements and Covid-19 Pandemic.
EQUITY +spatial justice, equitable distribution, human rights, resources, policy makers, marginalized groups, cultural erasure, economic displacement, homeless, waste and power plants, loss of identity, blissful ignorance, low opportunity, “ghetto”, listen to citizens before trying to design for them, structural racism, disproportionate impacts, “We need a new narrative of generosity, not austerity”, equitable/sustainable/attainable, reset the balance, remote working, budget allocation, bottom-up development, “Building Back Better”.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
SUMMARY Big Questions & Ideas
Common Themes
+What are the ideal features of an equitable, accessible, attainable, and sustainable city?
+acknowledging the intersections of urban planning with other disciplines,
+How can we ensure that the newest urban planning innovations properly serve and fairly affect the community? +How can we design for the greater good or for a greater purpose? +How can we address structural racism & other forms of discrimination through urban planning? +What does true spatial justice look and feel like? +How can we design urban spaces to more effectively adapt in times of public health crises? +How do we increase public participation in urban planning? +In what ways can we reimagine urban transportation systems to maximize accessibility and efficiency, while also reducing negative environmental impacts? +How can we bring humanity to public spaces and increase feelings of social connectedness? +How can we design or adapt urban buildings and spaces to mitigate current climate issues?
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
+understanding the negative and positive impacts/consequences that urban planning can have on a community, and +evaluating the attainability and sustainability of current models of urban spaces and imaging the ideal models of urban spaces in the future
PERSONAS Concerned Resident
Curious City Planner
Marcus Johnson is a 50 year old resident of Seattle, Washington. He lives with his wife and former highschool sweetheart Kayla Johnson. Marcusdropped out of college but worked his way up the chain of command at a large car dealership while Kayla is a school nurse. They have two grown kids, Marcus Jr. and Diana. Diana is twenty four years old and lives at home because she cannot afford to pay for community college and the high rent in the city. Marcus Jr. lives with his girlfirned and daughter in a rundown apartment just outside of the city, he makes an hour commute to his job every weekday. Marcus and Kayla enjoy watching cooking shows together and having their family over for Sunday dinners. Marcus worries a lot about if his kids will be able to find well-paying jobs to support themselves; he hopes one day that they can move to a neighborhood with good schools, public parks, and local shops. The family shops at large chain stores like Walmart and JCPenney, which seem to be on everystreet corner, but their favorite place to shop would have to be the weekly local farmer’s market the next town over; they wish there was one closer. Marcus is interested in attending the conference on Urban Planning because he has heard rumors of the city wanting to build a new highway through his granddaughter’s school district. As a kid, Marcus experienced displacement by new development and wants to stand up for underrepresented communities to ensure a safer and healthier future for his family.
Lydia Harthwright is a 35 year old architect working for Seattle’s city planning department. Lydia got her degree in government studies over adecade ago at Ohio State. Her day-to-day job includes approving building permits for new real estate developments and working with her team to advise the mayor and other officials what public structures or roadways should be prioritized for construction in the city budget. Lydia lives with her husband John who is a businessman for a stock trading company in the city. Lydia has two young children, Sarah, 10 years old, and Gavin, 6 years old. Both children attend private school that is a 30 minute bus ride away from their condo on the west side of the city. The family has a bulldog named Rondo. The family enjoys having weekly movie nights in the living room and going shopping in the city center. They often get their groceries delivered and other essentials are ordered through Amazon because it is most convenient for the busy parentd. Lydia is interested in attending the conference on Urban Planning because her friend who is a social worker for the city told her maybe it could giver her and her colleagues more perspective into how other people experience life in Seattle.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
SPEAKER BIOS & QUOTES Elizabeth Diller REDEFINE
Wanis Kabbaj REIMAGINE
One of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People”, Elizabeth Diller is an architect specializing in redefining public spaces to incorporate the social and cultural values of the city. Diller founded an international architecture firm called Diller Scofidio + Renfro in New York City and is a professor of architectural studies at Princeton University. “In our real estate-driven cities, where open space is increasingly carved up, traded and sold as a commodity, architects must defend public space, advocate for more of it, and reclaim space
As a global citizen and multi-disciplinary strategist, Wanis Kabbaj brings an unorthodox blend of approaches to every complex system he encounters. Kabbaj currently works as the Director of Global Strategy for UPS Healthcare Logistics where he engages with and reimagines the role of globalization, transportation, and innovation within urban contexts. “For decades, our remedy for congestion was simple: build new roads or enlarge existing ones. And it worked. It worked admirably for Paris, when the city tore down hundreds of historical buildings to create 85 miles of transportation-friendly boulevards. And it still works today in fast-growing emerging cities. But in more established urban centers, significant network expansions are almost impossible: habitat is just too dense, real estate, too expensive and public finances, too fragile. Our city’s vascular system is getting clogged, it’s getting sick, and we
that’s been squandered by neglect or lack of vision.”
Peter Calthrope REDESIGN Peter Calthorpe is a San Francisco-based architect, urban designer and urban planner. As a founding member of the Congress for New Urbanism, he promotes sustainable building practices and has redesigned past models of urban and suburban growth. “At the same time that we’re solving for climate change, we’re going to be building cities for three billion people. That’s a doubling of the urban environment. If we don’t get that right, I’m not sure all the climate solutions in the world will save mankind, because so much depends on how we shape our cities: not just environmental impacts, but our social well-being, our economic vitality, our sense of community and connectedness.”
Carlos Moreno RESTRUCTURE Carlos Moreno specializes in the study of complex systems and innovation processes as the Scientific Director for the Panthéon Sorbonne University in Paris. Moreno’s work in France and worldwide has restructured urban lifestyles and spaces to offer solutions to problems faced by metropolises in the 21st Century. “I would like to offer a concept of cities that goes in the opposite direction to modern urbanism, an attempt at converging life into a human-sized space rather than fracturing it into inhuman bigness and then forcing us to adapt. I call it “the 15-minute city.” And in a nutshell, the idea is that cities should be designed or redesigned so that within the distance of a 15-minute walk or bike ride, people should be able to live the essence of what constitutes the urban experience: to access work, housing, food, health, education, culture and leisure.”
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
should pay attention.”
Grace Kim RENEW Grace Kim is an architect and founder of Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing, a collaborative residential community that incorporates urban agriculture and modular construction. Kim’s work is focused on renewing senses of community and social equity in urban residential spaces. “Loneliness. All of us in this room will experience loneliness at some point in our lives. Loneliness is not a function of being alone, but rather, a function of how socially connected you are to those around you. And while loneliness can be attributed to many things, as an architect, I’m going to tell you today how loneliness can be the result of our built environments -- the very homes we choose to live in.”
Thomas Madrecki REVIVE
Liz Ogbu RECLAIM
Thomas Madrecki serves as the Director of Urban Innovation and Mobility at UPS where he works on mobility policy solutions to reduce congestion and increase sustainability. Madrecki’s passion for mobility policy is driven by the desire to revive old systems to enhance customer’s quality of life. “Quality of Life, even our happiness, is extremely difficult to plan or design for… We are made for
A designer, urbanist, and spatial justice activist, Liz Ogbu is an expert on engaging and reclaiming unjust urban environments. Her multidisciplinary design practice, Studio O, operates at the intersection of racial and spatial justice to catalyze sustained social impact. “Now, spatial justice means that we understand that justice has a geography, and that the equitable distribution of resources, services and access is a basic human right.”
community and yet we often can’t find it.”
Stefan Al REFOCUS Stefan Al has dedicated his career to designing and researching sustainable architectural solutions that refocus the purpose of built environments on improving quality of life and resiliency. With more than fifteen years of experience, his diverse portfolio spans from architecture, public art, and interior design to large-scale urban design. “Humanity has been uncovering these arboreal benefits for centuries. But trees aren’t just crucial to the health of a city’s infrastructure; they play a vital role in the health of its citizens as well. By 2050, it’s estimated that over 65% of the world will be living in cities. City planners can lay an eco-friendly foundation, but it’s up to the people who live in these urban forests to make them homes for more than humans.”
Kotchakorn Voraakhom REENVISION Kotchakorn Voraakhom is a landscape architect who works on building green public space that tackles issues of climate change. Voraakhom’s work in Bangkok reenvisions how to address rising sea levels through multi-purpose architecture. “Every given project, for me, is an opportunity to create more green cracks through this concrete jungle by using landscape architecture as a solution, like turning this concrete roof into an urban farm, which can help absorb rain; reduce urban heat island and grow food in the middle of the city…”
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
“First -- we cannot create cities for everyone unless we’re first willing to listen to everyone. Not just about what they hope to see built in the future but also about what has been lost or unfulfilled. Second -- healing is not just for “those people.” For those of us with privilege, we have to have a reckoning with our own guilt, discomfort and complicity. As non-profit leader Anne Marks once observed, “Hurt people hurt people; healed people heal people.” And third -healing is not about the erasure of pain. We often have a tendency to want to put a clean slate over our pain, much like that asphalt on the soil in Bayview Hunters Point. But it doesn’t work that way. Healing is about acknowledging pain and making peace with it.
Vishaan Chakrabarti REFORM Vishaan Chakrabarti designs and advocates for a sustainable, attainable and equitable urban future centered around human connectedness. Chakrabarti considers himself an educator and activist as well as an architect through his work to reform urban planning policies. “If all cities are designed to be sustainable, equitable, and joyous- this is the last hope for humanity.”
Visual Concepting
INTO THE CONCRETE JUNGLE Reimagining How We Structure Urban Life.
Schematic. Industrial. Line-Based. Into the Concrete Jungle addresses various inequities through the lens of urban planning. This conference encourages acknowledgement of past failures and an optimistic reimagining of what could be.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
POWER TO THE PEOPLE Building Equity through Urban Planning.
Personified. Paths. Linked. Power to the People seeks to bring people back to the focus of urban planning. We challenge planners and designers to have real conversations with residents to understand the powerful effects of urban planning on marginalized communities.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
RESOLUTE Designing the Foundation for Urban Equity.
Geometric. Dynamic. Type-Based. Resolute cities are cities that are designed with purpose and have the strength to withstand challenges of ecology, equity, and efficiency. This conference gives urban planners across the country a unifying goal.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
URBAN HEALING Using our Shared Humanity to Direct Urban Design.
Layered. Expressive. Connected. Urban planning wields the power to hurt or heal cities and people; which are you designing for? Urban healing hosts lectures and workshops that emphasize our shared humanity and the power of designers to heal past wounds.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
HOUSE OF CARDS Balancing a Sustainable and Attainable Urban Future.
Busy. Isometric. Abstract. Like a House of Cards, urban planning is a constant balancing act. This conference seeks out the middle ground between the gravity of the effects of urban planning on equity and environment and the desire for efficiency and enjoyment of urban life.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
RESTORE Building Equity into Urban Life from the Ground-Up.
Expressive. Warped. Type-Based. Congestion. Pollution. Displacement. Loneliness. The effects of urban planning reach far and wide in all aspects of urban life - how can we restore equity into urban planning to design for the future we deserve?
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
1.
Into the Concrete Jungle
2.
Power to the People
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Resolute
4.
Urban Healing
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House of Cards
6.
Restore
Kate Schmidt
Reimagining how we structure urban life.
Building equity through urban planning.
Designing the foundation for urban equity.
Using our shared humanity to direct urban design.
Balancing a sustainable and attainable urban future.
Building equity into urban life from the ground up.
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
a
Into the Concrete Jungle Reimagining how we structure urban life. Congestion. Pollution. Displacement. Loneliness. The effects of urban planning reach far and wide in all aspects of urban life - how can we restore equity into urban planning to design for the future we deserve?
Schematic. Industrial. Line-Based. Transparency. Dynamic.
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Restore Reimagining how we structure urban life. Congestion. Pollution. Displacement. Loneliness. The effects of urban planning reach far and wide in all aspects of urban life - how can we restore equity into urban planning to design for the future we deserve?
Expressive. Warped. Type-Based. Text Overlayed on Photos.
c
Restore Using our shared humanity to direct urban design. Urban planning wields the power to hurt or heal cities and people; which are you designing for? Restore hosts lectures and workshops that emphasize our shared humanity and the power of designers to heal past wounds.
Layered. Expressive. Connected. Juxtaposing Fluidity and Rigidity.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
ToolKits & Kinetic Systems
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
EXPLORATIONS
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Refinements between versions of Instagram campaigns includes restricting type treatment for greater consistency and readability, expanding the color palette for greater hierarchy and emphasis, and a more purposeful combination of type and image for clarity of message.
BILLBOARDS
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
WIREFRAMES
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
WEBSITE
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
WEBSITE UPDATE
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
The new website has a dark background to create higher contrast between text and background.
RESPONSIVE WEBSITE
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
DESKTOP
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Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
TABLET & PHONE
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Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
ANIMATION STORYBOARDS
This animation is a branded conference intro.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
The animation is a branded conference intro that includes the dates of the events.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
The first animation is a branded conference intro. The second animation is a speaker introduction.
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
CITY BANNERS
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Here are explorations of city banners and a final version of a large billboard that matches the design of the banners.
WEBSITE WALKTHROUGH
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
This animation walks through the full desktop website and shows the elements of interactivity on each page when the user hovers over or clicks on different elements on the page.
BRAND ANIMATION (V1)
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
BRAND ANIMATION (V2)
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
SPEAKER ANIMATION #1
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
SPEAKER ANIMATION #2
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
ICON SET
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
ICON SET
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
SIGNAGE APPLICATIONS
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
INSTA STORY MOCKUPS
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
INSTA PAGE MOCKUPS
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
WEBSITE MOCKUPS
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
BROCHURE
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
PRESENTATION
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021
Kate Schmidt
Urban Planning Conference
March, 2021